Ch 15: How To Be A Good Lackey

During evening study period, Shao Ye went with his classmates to the gymnasium and found an empty classroom to rehearse their “strong female lead” version of Sleeping Beauty. A few of the girls had stayed up all night and had already drafted most of the script.

Looking at the vest and leather pants in his hands, Shao Ye muttered under his breath, “I still think this outfit isn’t very proper.”

The class monitor, who wasn’t very tall, heard him and immediately jumped up, slapping him on the shoulder. “That’s exactly the point! Your character is supposed to be an improper witch!”

The arts rep chimed in from the side, “What kind of proper witch would jump into the pit he dug himself?”

Shao Ye: “……”

Didn’t they move the pit somewhere else? That can’t all be blamed on the witch.

“Just put it on and try it,” the class monitor urged.

Shao Ye remembered what Xi Guanming had told him that afternoon in the office, that he should take the clothes back to the dorm and wash them first, so he repeated that to the class monitor.

The class monitor looked at him in surprise. “Oh? Since when are you so particular? Doesn’t sound like you.”

Shao Ye raised a hand to straighten his collar and said solemnly, “Don’t look at me with your old perspective. I’m not the same person I used to be.”

“What happened?” the surrounding classmates asked curiously.

Shao Ye lifted his chin, swept his gaze around, and said with restraint, “I’ve learned how to solve systems of linear equations.”

Classmates: “……”

The class monitor sighed and looked at him with a hint of pity. “Alright, I get it. I’ll have Xiao Huang cut down some of your longer lines later.”

Shao Ye didn’t quite understand, but he still said politely, “Thank you, class monitor.”

After reading through the script together, they made a series of edits and finalized it, then handed both the script and the costume to Shao Ye to take back and study carefully.

Shao Ye went straight to Xi Guanming’s dorm. Xi Guanming wasn’t there, so he busied himself alone. The clothes were leather and not easy to wash, so he wiped them down with wet wipes, then sat on the bed with a hair dryer, blowing the vest and pants for over half an hour until they were finally dry.

The vest had several leather straps crossing over the chest, along with a thin silver chain. The hidden clasps for the straps were all on the back, so without help, the only way to put it on was to pull it over his head. Shao Ye tried it, but the vest was too small, clinging tightly to his body. Halfway through, the straps tangled together and got stuck at his chest. He didn’t dare pull too hard in case he ripped it apart, so he ended up stuck—unable to put it on or take it off. The chain knocked against the silver buckles with a constant clinking sound, which only made him more irritated.

When Xi Guanming pushed the door open, he saw Shao Ye standing by the bed with both arms raised, twisting around in a mess. One of the straps was even looped around his neck, making it look like he was about to hang himself. Xi Guanming stood there watching him for a moment, then leaned against the door and laughed. “How did you manage to wear a perfectly good piece of clothing like that?”

Hearing his voice, Shao Ye turned his head and protested, “How is this a ‘perfectly good’ outfit?”

Xi Guanming walked over and pressed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t move. Let me see what’s going on.”

Shao Ye froze like a wind-up puppet with a jammed mechanism. As soon as Xi Guanming spoke, he obediently stood still. After examining him front and back, Xi Guanming realized one of the straps that was supposed to cross over the chest had been pulled to the back and tangled with another strap, which was why it wouldn’t go on.

He found the hidden clasps at the back of the vest and unfastened the straps one by one. Finally, Shao Ye could breathe normally again and managed to put the vest on properly.

When he saw it in pictures, Shao Ye already thought it was revealing. Now that he was wearing it, it felt even more so—his entire chest was basically exposed. Xi Guanming gathered the straps at his back, then brought them around to the front and fastened them. Before long, all the straps were pulled tight across Shao Ye’s chest, his honey-colored muscles pressing through the crisscrossed gaps.

Xi Guanming hooked a finger under one strap and pulled it outward, then let go.

With a sharp snap, the strap bounced back against Shao Ye’s chest.

Shao Ye looked down. His firm chest rippled slightly from the impact. Xi Guanming’s gaze darkened for a moment as he said, “Sorry. My hand slipped. Did that hurt?”

It sounded loud, but it didn’t really hurt at all. Shao Ye shook his head. “It’s fine.”

“That’s good,” Xi Guanming said with a smile, continuing to adjust the straps and chain across his chest.

Shao Ye actually felt like the outfit was already fine and didn’t need further adjustment, but perhaps the president was a bit obsessive and wanted every strap evenly spaced.

Snap!

Another familiar sound of the strap hitting his chest.

Did his hand slip again? Did he oil it or something?

Before Shao Ye could figure it out, Xi Guanming had already hooked another strap, pulled it, and released.

Snap!

Crisp and clear—definitely a “good chest” sound.

Even Shao Ye, slow as he was, began to sense something slightly off. He looked at Xi Guanming in confusion. “President?”

Xi Guanming met his puzzled gaze, smiling calmly as he explained, “I just thought of something. It’s better to test the quality of these straps in advance. If something goes wrong during the performance, that wouldn’t be good.”

Shao Ye gave an “oh,” easily accepting the explanation. “President, you really think things through.”

He hadn’t considered it at all. Even something this small, and he was already planning ahead—no wonder he was the student council president.

Shao Ye looked down and counted the straps on his chest. “There are still a few left to test, right?”

Xi Guanming looked at him, a lazy, satisfied amusement spreading through his whole demeanor. He praised, “Very clever.”

Shao Ye puffed out his chest cooperatively. “President, you can use more force if you want. It doesn’t hurt anyway.”

Xi Guanming’s fingers paused on the strap. He lowered his head and laughed softly for a while before saying, “Shao Ye… you’re really cute.”

Shao Ye: “?”

In all these years, this was the first time anyone had called him cute.

Could that word really be used on him?

Well, if the president said he was cute, then he was cute.

“Then I won’t hold back.”

Xi Guanming tested the remaining straps one by one before finally withdrawing his hand at a leisurely pace and commenting, “Not bad. They’re all pretty sturdy.”

But who knew whether he was talking about the straps… or the chest?

Shao Ye didn’t think in that direction at all. Seeing that Xi Guanming seemed finished, he said, “President, I want to go look in the mirror.”

He still hadn’t seen what the outfit actually looked like on him.

“Go ahead,” Xi Guanming said.

Shao Ye went into the bathroom and stood in front of the sink, looking at himself in the mirror. The black straps were pulled tightly into his flesh, and the spots where they had snapped earlier were faintly red. But since his skin was darker, it wasn’t very noticeable. He frowned, lifted his arms a little, still not quite used to it, and couldn’t help complaining, “Isn’t this outfit a bit too small?”

Xi Guanming happened to walk over and stood behind him, looking at the reflection in the mirror. “I think it fits just right.”

“Really?” Shao Ye looked down at his chest and tugged at the straps, still finding it strange.

“It looks good like this,” Xi Guanming said.

Shao Ye didn’t really have the taste to appreciate this kind of fashion, but since the president said it looked good, it would probably help their class performance at least a little during the arts festival.

After leaving the bathroom, Shao Ye needed Xi Guanming’s help again to take off the vest. Once he changed back into his white tank top, it felt much more comfortable. After applying medicine, he lay face-down on the bed and said to Xi Guanming, “President, you can sleep without worry. With me here, that person definitely won’t dare show up tonight.”

He continued declaring, “Even if he does come, I’ll make sure he understands why flowers are so red.”

Xi Guanming sat on the bed flipping through a book, smiling but saying nothing.

Once the dorm lights were turned off, it didn’t even take ten minutes before snoring started again from the neighboring bed.

Xi Guanming got out of bed, walked over to Shao Ye’s bedside, and looked down at him sleeping soundly. He leaned down, pinched his chest once, then flicked it lightly with his finger.

Shao Ye remained lost in his dreams, mouth slightly open, long since forgetting his grand and difficult mission of catching the intruder.

After toying with him for quite a while, listening to the pattering of rain against the window, Xi Guanming murmured softly, “So dumb.”

Whether he meant how Shao Ye solved math problems that afternoon—following step by step and still getting the wrong answer—or how he could be taken advantage of without even realizing it, and even willingly offer himself up—

Someone that easy to fool would be deceived by him… and by others too, wouldn’t he?

Xi Guanming’s gaze darkened slightly. He hoped no one at the academy would be that blind.

The next morning, Shao Ye grabbed two pens and headed out for class. His textbooks were all kept in the classroom; he never brought them back to the dorm to preview or review.

For some reason, Xi Guanming was leaving later than usual today. He sat by the window reading, golden autumn sunlight falling across his upper body, giving him an air of quiet elegance. Seeing Shao Ye about to leave, he reminded him, “Don’t forget to take your costume. Don’t you have rehearsal tonight?”

Shao Ye waved his hand. “No need to bring it. Won’t be using it.”

Xi Guanming set down his book and asked, “What happened?”

Shao Ye stuffed the two pens into his pocket as he said, “Our class monitor just messaged me. She said the school released a document this morning with twenty new rules for the arts festival. One of them requires that costumes not be too revealing, so we can’t wear that one anymore.”

“Is that so?” Xi Guanming sounded as if he had no prior knowledge of it at all. There was a clear note of regret in his tone. “That’s really a pity.”

---

Author’s note:

[Breaking news—]

No. 3 has been eliminated!

: ??

: ????

: Why No. 3? Weren’t you all saying No. 6 would be the first to go?

: I bet all my points on No. 3! Why did he get eliminated? I don’t understand!

: Well… you know No. 3’s personality—he got along well with the main NPCs. He wanted to take it further, tried to cling to the president, and got used by him instead—became the trigger for another conflict and got expelled.

: What’s wrong with clinging to the president? Isn’t No. 6 doing the same?

: Who knows

: Rigged! This is definitely rigged! I’m reporting this! My points!

: Should I just bet on No. 6 at this point

: If you bet on No. 6 you’re really doomed

: If the officials find he cheated, he’s out next week; if he didn’t cheat, the president will take him out himself

: The president just sees him as a somewhat amusing toy. He’ll get bored in a couple of days. Don’t let those CP shippers brainwash you, this isn’t some pure romance story

: Remember, according to the official setting, all presidents are manifestations of the same consciousness. I was starting to think he might fall for No. 6, but after how decisively he dealt with No. 3, it’s clear—No. 6 will end up in his hands sooner or later

: That logic though?

: Did you watch No. 6’s stream? I checked—camera’s on the door again, but I heard slapping sounds. The president must’ve lost control and started whipping him, that’s why they won’t show it

: I didn’t watch closely, I don’t like No. 6. I just vaguely heard things like “don’t move,” “did that hurt,” “my hand slipped,” so I switched streams. Turns out it was that, huh. If I knew he was getting beaten, I would’ve listened longer

: Yeah! Later when No. 6 changed his tank top, I saw several red marks on his chest that weren’t there before!

: The president really couldn’t hold back anymore, even got hands-on

: And CP fans can still ship this?

: I was just casually shipping before, but somehow what you guys are saying makes it even more shippable now

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